Using the most recent Seasonally Adjusted data from the JOLT report, determine the following:

2. How much higher were jobs openings in the most recent month compared to the year prior? Is this a good or bad sign for the economy?
4. Identify the separation rate in the private and government sectors, how is this calculated?
6. What was the change in the total separation rate (%) from the prior to the most recent month?
8. Compare the most recent month change in the number of jobs in the Establishment Survey to the difference between hires and separations for the same month. Are the data consistent with each other or do they differ? Should we expect them to be the same?
10. What region had the highest Quit rates in the most recent month? Is this a good or bad sign, why?

B. Using the most recent adjusted data from the Business Inventory Report determine the following:

2. What is the dollar value of sales and inventories?
4. What percentage of sales do inventories account for?
6. From the prior month, did inventories increase or decrease as a percentage of sales and by how much?
8. Determine the ratio of inventories to sales for retailers and manufacturers and explain any difference?
10. From the prior month, did manufacturing inventory-sales ratios rise or fall and is this a positive or negative signal for the sector?

C. Using the most recent data from the Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization Report determine the following:

2. By how much did total industrial production grow from the base year to the most recent month?
4. By how much did total industrial production change from the prior month?
6. Which major market group (including all subcategories) grew the most and least year-over-year? Which contracted and by how much?
8. What is the estimated average total capacity utilization in the U.S over the past 30+ years (round to a whole number)?
10. In the most recent month, which stage of process group had the greatest growth in capacity utilization?
12. Which stage of process group has the highest historic capacity utilization rate and what is the rate? Which has had the lowest and what is the rate?

D. Using the most recent ISM Report, determine the following:

2. What was the overall index? Does this suggest an expanding or contracting manufacturing sector?
4. Which manufacturing sectors were growing the fastest and slowest? Why?
6. What is happening to manufacturing prices? What might this mean for the economy?

E. Using the most recent data from the CPI and PPI reports, determine the following:

2. What was the inflation rate for all items?
4. What were the monthly annualized inflation or deflation rates for Apparel and Gasoline?
6. Compare the most recent year-over-year overall inflation rate with the year-over-year Core inflation rate and explain any discrepancy?
8. Based on the annualized monthly inflation rate, how much more would a typical consumer that spends $10,000 a year on the CPI basket have to spend a year later because of inflation?
10. What was the actual CPI index in the most recent month for all goods? Based on this number how much did prices increase from the base years?
12. Determine the monthly inflation rate for total final demand goods/services that producers like Walmart buy. Based on this rate and assuming they purchase an average of $10,000,000 per month in inventories, how much more or less will they spend from the start to the end of the month?
14. Based on the most recent PPI, would you anticipate inflation of deflation in the CPI?

F. Using the most recent Personal Income and Spending Report, determine the following:

2. What percent of personal income was earned in:
4. Wages and salaries?
6. Personal current transfer receipts?
8. Personal income receipts on assets? What was the non-annualized personal income?
10. What proportion of disposable income was saved and how much did the percent change from the prior month?
12. Based on "c" above, is this a positive or negative sign for future economic growth?
14. Calculate the proportion of disposable income that is accounted for by "personal interest payments". Is this within the acceptable range based on the economic indicator's text?

G. Using the most recent adjusted monthly data from the Retail Sales Report determine the following:

2. Percent and Dollar change in Retail & Food Service from the prior month. Round percent to the hundredths.
4. Which kind of business witnessed the greatest annual percent change and by how much?
6. What percentage of retail sales were non-store purchases? Do most people shop in physical stores anymore?
7. JOLT report: https://www.bls.gov/jlt/news.htm Business Inventory Report: https://www.census.gov/mtis/index.html Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization Report: https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/g17/current/ ISM Report: https://www.ismworld.org/supply-management-news-and-reports/reports/ism-report-on-business/ CPI Report: https://www.bls.gov/cpi/news.htm PPI: https://www.bls.gov/ppi/news.htm Personal Income and Spending: https://www.bea.gov/data/income-saving/personal-income Retail Sales Report: https://www.census.gov/retail/index.html Econ 422 Research Project 2
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